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Opioid Litigation Media Update - 9/1/17
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Waterbury to sue pharmaceutical companies over opioid epidemic
Aug 30, 2017 | Fox 61 (CT)
By Doug Stewart
The city of Waterbury plans to sue pharmaceutical companies for what they say is the fraudulent marketing of prescription opioids that has led to the drug epidemic in the country. -
Greater Danbury towns show interest in joining Waterbury lawsuit against big pharma
Aug 31, 2017 | NewsTimes
By Rob Ryser
Waterbury filed a lawsuit against Stamford-based Purdue Pharma and other drug makers Thursday over the opioid overdose crisis, and encouraged two dozen other Connecticut cities and towns to take similar legal action. -
Waterbury Sues Opioid Manufacturers, Seven Communities Want To Join Suit (VIDEO)
Aug 31, 2017 | Hartford Courant
By Dan Stacom
VIDEO LINK: http://www.courant.com/health/hc-connecticut-opioid-lawsuit-towns-20170831-story.html Claiming that pharmaceutical manufacturers triggered a deadly nationwide epidemic by deliberately misrepresenting the risks of opioid painkillers, seven municipalities joined the city on Thursday suing four of the country's biggest drug makers. -
Cities, Towns Sue Opioid-makers
Aug 31, 2017 | CBS Connecticut
Waterbury, Bridgeport, and a handful of other cities and towns today are filing a lawsuit accusing drug companies of paying doctors to spread false information about the safety of opioid pain killers that the companies sold. -
First lawsuit in Connecticut filed against opioid-makers
Sep 1, 2017 | Westfair Online
By Kevin Zimmerman
Waterbury followed through with its threat to become the first Connecticut city to file a lawsuit on Aug. 31 against pharmaceutical companies and physicians over what it maintains is “the aggressive and fraudulent marketing of prescription opioid painkillers that has led to a drug epidemic in the city and throughout the nation.” -
Bensalem set to sue Big Pharma over opioid crisis
Aug 31, 2017 | Metro U.S.
By Hayden Mitman
On the eve of Thursday’s observance of International Overdose Awareness Day, held on Aug. 31, Bensalem Township announced Wednesday, a plan to combat the region’s opioid crisis in an attempt to hit drug manufacturers where it hurts – the wallet. -
Pa. Mayor To Sue Pharma Over Opioid Crisis
Aug 31, 2017 | Law 360
By Dan Packel
A mayor of a Philadelphia suburb announced Wednesday that his township had retained counsel to sue over a dozen pharmaceutical companies over the burgeoning opioid crisis, becoming the first Pennsylvania municipality to take such a move. -
Pfizer, Teva Among Latest Opioid Makers In Mo. Probe
Aug 31, 2017 | Law 360
By Dani Kass
Missouri’s attorney general on Thursday said he has demanded that seven drugmakers, including Pfizer, Teva, Mylan and Allergan, hand over documents about their opioid marketing as part of an investigation into whether they pushed the opioid crisis along despite knowing the addiction risks. -
Mora County Files Lawsuit Seeking Damages Against Manufacturers and Distributors of Opioids (PRESS RELEASE)
Sep 1, 2017 | Mora County Board of Comissioners
Mora County has become the first New Mexico governmental entity to seek damages against the manufacturers and distributors of opioid painkillers. -
Action News at 12:30pm
Aug 31, 2017 | WPVI (ABC)
By Philadelphia, PA
VIDEO LINK: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/29143395?token=e1c5002a-141a-443f-9692-7ad82b2c7f1c -
NBC Connecticut News Today
Sep 1, 2017 | WVIT (BC)
By Hartford & New Haven, CT
VIDEO LINK: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/29143419?token=e1c5002a-141a-443f-9692-7ad82b2c7f1c
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Broadcast Media Coverage
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Waterbury to sue pharmaceutical companies over opioid epidemic
Aug 30, 2017 | Fox 61 (CT)
By Doug Stewart
The city of Waterbury plans to sue pharmaceutical companies for what they say is the fraudulent marketing of prescription opioids that has led to the drug epidemic in the country.
Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary and Paul J. Hanly Jr., partner in law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy, and Jim Hartley, partner in law firm Drubner Hartley & Hellman will attend a press conference to announce the suit Thursday at noon in City Hall.
Leaders from other towns in the state will attend the press conference as they consider joining the suit.
New Hampshire has sued alleging Purdue Pharma, based in Stamford, has downplayed oxycodone’s risk of addiction, overstated its effectiveness, claimed it is nearly impossible to abuse and failed to report suspicious prescribers. Another suit The suit, filed in South Carolina, accuses Purdue of failing to comply with a 2007 agreement it signed with South Carolina and dozens of other states over allegations of its promotion of OxyContin.
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Greater Danbury towns show interest in joining Waterbury lawsuit against big pharma
Aug 31, 2017 | NewsTimes
By Rob Ryser
Waterbury filed a lawsuit against Stamford-based Purdue Pharma and other drug makers Thursday over the opioid overdose crisis, and encouraged two dozen other Connecticut cities and towns to take similar legal action.
“Waterbury is the first Connecticut city to join the growing list of municipalities around the country that have concluded that the defendant drug companies must be held responsible for their conspiratory and fraudulent actions and the injuries and costs that have resulted from the opioid epidemic,” said Paul Hanly, a lead attorney who filed the lawsuit.
“The defendants have manufactured, promoted and marketed opioids by omitting critical information that has long been known about the drugs’ addictive qualities and other risks associated with their prolonged use.”
Thursday’s show of strength in Waterbury included leaders from Ridgefield, New Milford, Bridgeport, Darien, Roxbury, who say drug companies should be held responsible for a crisis that is expected to result in 1,000 overdose deaths in Connecticut this year. Danbury has also said it is interested in legal action.
“Communities throughout Connecticut have been suffering the devastating effects of this opioid epidemic for years and we in Waterbury believe it is time to take a stand,” Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary said in a prepared statement. “The effects stretch throughout the state and have destroyed families, flooded emergency rooms and overwhelmed emergency services. We are pleased that so many of the leaders of our neighboring cities and towns came today to hear about our course of action and we expect many will be joining us in this litigation.”
A spokesman for Purdue, which manufactures the popular opioid painkiller OxyContin, said the company has been working
“While we vigorously deny the allegations, we share local officials’ concerns about the opioid crisis and we are committed to working collaboratively to find solutions,” said spokesman Robert Josephson on Thursday.
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Waterbury Sues Opioid Manufacturers, Seven Communities Want To Join Suit (VIDEO)
Aug 31, 2017 | Hartford Courant
By Dan Stacom
VIDEO LINK: http://www.courant.com/health/hc-connecticut-opioid-lawsuit-towns-20170831-story.html
Claiming that pharmaceutical manufacturers triggered a deadly nationwide epidemic by deliberately misrepresenting the risks of opioid painkillers, seven municipalities joined the city on Thursday suing four of the country's biggest drug makers.
Bristol, Bridgeport, New Milford, Naugatuck, Oxford, Wolcott and Roxbury all agreed Thursday morning to join the suit, according to Mayor Neil O'Leary, who predicted another 15 to 20 Connecticut communities will sign on as co-plaintiffs.
"We're all dealing with this opioid crisis, epidemic - it's absolutely having devastating impacts on every city and town in the state of Connecticut and across the country," O'Leary said at a press conference where he was joined by mayors and first selectmen of about a dozen towns.
Attorneys from that national firm of Simmons Hanly Conroy as well as Drubner Hartley & Hellman told reporters the case could ultimately end in a settlement in "the hundreds of millions."
Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma, one of the defendants, issued a statement denying wrongdoing and calling itself an industry leader in developing opioids with "abuse-deterrent properties."
Waterbury joins a rapidly growing list of cities and states that are suing major pharmaceutical companies over the opioid crisis. Oklahoma, New Hampshire, South Caroline, Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio are pursuing cases, and Alaska officials told Alaska Public Media this week that their state has retained Motley Rice LLC to look into suing.
Just last week, Toms River, N.J. announced it had retained Motley Rice to sue one or more opioid manufacturers. Officials told the Asbury Park Press that the firm approached them with an offer to pursue the case on a contingency basis - meaning it won't charge an upfront fee, but will take a percentage of any settlement.
O'Leary confirmed that the law firms in his city's suit will work on a similar agreement, charging nothing upfront but collecting one third of any settlement.
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Cities, Towns Sue Opioid-makers
Aug 31, 2017 | CBS Connecticut
Waterbury, Bridgeport, and a handful of other cities and towns today are filing a lawsuit accusing drug companies of paying doctors to spread false information about the safety of opioid pain killers that the companies sold.
An attorney for the cities and towns, Paul Hanly says for a century, it was widely accepted in the medical community that the use of opioid narcotic painkillers was risky.
The companies include Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Cephalon, Johnson & Johnson, Ortho-McNeil-Janseen Phamaceuticals, and Endo Pharmaceuticals.
“What these companies did starting in 1995 was attempt to turn that accepted wisdom on its head,” Hanly said.
The communities say they have been ravaged by an increased opioid prescriptions that led to an explosion of opioid addiction.
The cities and towns argue that they have suffered directly because they pay for the coverage of employees and dependents who need treatment for addiction.
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First lawsuit in Connecticut filed against opioid-makers
Sep 1, 2017 | Westfair Online
By Kevin Zimmerman
Waterbury followed through with its threat to become the first Connecticut city to file a lawsuit on Aug. 31 against pharmaceutical companies and physicians over what it maintains is “the aggressive and fraudulent marketing of prescription opioid painkillers that has led to a drug epidemic in the city and throughout the nation.”
On the same day, Gov. Dannel Malloy signed legislation that he introduced earlier this year and developed in cooperation with a number of lawmakers that is designed to further the state’s efforts combating the opioid crisis.
Defendants in the Waterbury complaint, filed in the city’s superior court, include Stamford-based Purdue Pharma; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA of Wilmington, Delaware; Cephalon of Wilmington; Johnson & Johnson of New Brunswick, New Jersey; Janssen Pharmaceuticals of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals of Titusville, New Jersey; Endo Health Solutions Inc. of Malvern, Pennsylvania; and physicians Perry Fine and Lynn Webster, both of Salt Lake City, and Scott Fishman of Sacramento, who were allegedly instrumental in promoting opioids for sale and distribution nationally.
New York City-based Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest law firms focused on consumer protection and mass tort actions, initiated the lawsuit on behalf of the city, with Waterbury-based law firm Drubner Hartley & Hellman serving as co-counsel.
The lawsuit is the latest in a growing number of similar legal actions being taken against opioid manufacturers, marketers and distributors around the country, and sources indicated that a number of Fairfield County municipalities could well file their own, similar suits.
Although Connecticut has not joined such states as Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma in filing lawsuits, state Attorney General George Jepsen announced in June that the state was joining a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from across the country to evaluate whether pharmaceutical manufacturers have engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing and sale of prescription opioids.
The announcement of the Waterbury lawsuit took place at a press conference at Waterbury City Hall. Led by Waterbury Mayor Neal O’Leary, it also drew representatives from such Fairfield County towns as Ridgefield, Bridgeport and Darien.
“Communities throughout Connecticut have been suffering the devastating effects of this opioid epidemic for years and we in Waterbury believe it is time to take a stand,” O’Leary said. “The effects stretch throughout the state and have destroyed families, flooded emergency rooms and overwhelmed emergency services. We are pleased that so many of the leaders of our neighboring cities and towns came today to hear about our course of action and we expect many will be joining us in this litigation.”
According to Waterbury’s lawsuit, there were as many as 82 opioid prescriptions per 100 people written in Connecticut in 2014. In 2015, over 2.6 million opioid prescriptions were filled in the state.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants’ conduct has had a significant adverse economic impact on Connecticut municipalities. As a result, it said, Waterbury has had to spend exorbitant amounts of money to pay for the increased amount of opioid prescriptions of its employees. In 2016, the city expended $1.4 million on opioid prescriptions for city employees, a 212 percent increase from 2013.
The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported that in 2016, 917 people in Connecticut died of a drug overdose, the vast majority of which were opioid-related. Between 2012 and 2015, Connecticut rose from ranking 50th in the nation in overdose deaths to 12th.
On Aug. 28, the Medical Examiner’s Office projected that drug overdose deaths in Connecticut in 2017 will exceed 1,000.
Meanwhile, the provisions of Malloy’s legislation — Public Act 17-131, “An Act Preventing Prescription Opioid Diversion and Abuse,” include:
· Increasing data sharing among state agencies regarding opioid abuse and opioid overdose deaths;
· Facilitating the destruction of unused prescription medication by utilizing registered nurses employed for home health care agencies;
· Increasing security of controlled-substance prescriptions by requiring certain scheduled drugs be electronically prescribed;
· Allowing patients to file a voluntary nonopioid form in their medical records indicating that they do not want to be prescribed or administered opioid drugs;
· Expanding requirements about information regarding provider communications about the risk and signs of addiction and the dangers of drug interactions to cover all opioid prescriptions – current law is just for minors;
· Reducing the maximum opioid drug prescription for minors from seven days to five days;
· Requiring the Department of Public Health to put information online about how prescribers can obtain certification for suboxone and other medicines to treat opioid-use disorder;
· Requiring individual and group health insurers to cover medically necessary detox treatment, as defined by American Society of Addiction Medicine criteria; and
· Requiring alcohol and drug treatment facilities use ASAM criteria for admission guidelines
Malloy called opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse “a complex crisis that does not have one root cause, nor does it have simple solution, but we need to do everything in our power to treat and prevent it. Our work on this front will not be finished until our communities and our families are no longer struggling with the grave costs of this illness.”
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Bensalem set to sue Big Pharma over opioid crisis
Aug 31, 2017 | Metro U.S.
By Hayden Mitman
On the eve of Thursday’s observance of International Overdose Awareness Day, held on Aug. 31, Bensalem Township announced Wednesday, a plan to combat the region’s opioid crisis in an attempt to hit drug manufacturers where it hurts – the wallet.
According to a statement released by the office of Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo, the township plans to sue more than a dozen drug manufacturing companies, including Purdue Pharma LLP, Johnson and Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and others, citing that these drug companies “worked to create the impression that opioids of chronic pain” and that they “worked to create an impression that the risk for addiction was slight and could be fairly easily controlled.”
“That is simply not accurate,” notes the released statement.
The released statement notes that the “war on opioid abuse” has led to increased and expanded police efforts to combat the expanding problem, including “enhanced investigative techniques, aggressive prevention programs and close work with rehabilitation and treatment centers.”
“Despite these ongoing efforts, however, the crisis continues and the time has now come to hold the drug companies that have caused this problem accountable,” the release reads.
According to the statement, in Bensalem alone, from 2006 to 2017, the overdose rate, due to opioid abuse, has risen 556-percent while arrest rates for opioid-related crimes have increased 156-percent. As a result, the township says, the opioid crisis has cost local taxpayers millions of tax dollars spent on police and first responder costs while the drug companies that create the painkillers tied to this crisis haven’t spent anything to help defray these costs.
In its lawsuit, as detailed in the released statement, Bensalem Township is pursuing legal remedies claiming the drug companies involved in the lawsuit participated in “unlawful conduct” that “causes and contributes to the opioid crisis,” including claims under the unfair trade practices and consumer protection law as well as claims of public nuisance, fraud, and unjust enrichment.
“The township intends to make sure that the wrongdoers are held fully responsible for these wrongs and for the losses they have caused to the residents and taxpayers of Bensalem,” notes the statement.
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Pa. Mayor To Sue Pharma Over Opioid Crisis
Aug 31, 2017 | Law 360
By Dan Packel
A mayor of a Philadelphia suburb announced Wednesday that his township had retained counsel to sue over a dozen pharmaceutical companies over the burgeoning opioid crisis, becoming the first Pennsylvania municipality to take such a move.
Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo said the township’s residents were getting slammed by the cost of responding to opioid-related overdoses and crimes connected to a surge in addiction. The township intends to target units of Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Cephalon and Endo.
The mayor said that attorneys from Philadelphia personal injury firm Young Ricchiuti Caldwell & Heller LLC would be representing Bensalem at no charge to the taxpayers of the township.
“The charge to the Bensalem taxpayers has been what they have been paying for all that we have done with our police and our [emergency medical services],” DiGirolamo said. “Tens of millions of dollars have been spent by our community because of this drug.”
The township of over 60,000 people, which sits directly across the Philadelphia city line in Bucks County, has been especially hard hit by the national opioid crisis, according to Director of Public Safety Fred Harran.
He flagged an increase in the overdose rate of 556 percent from 2006 to 2017 and a 156 percent increase in drug arrests over the same interval.
Harran said that attorneys were still calculating the total cost of the crisis, but that estimates put it in the ballpark of $200 million.
One piece of that, he said, was township spending on emergency medical services. He said while emergency medical expenditures were approximately $1.05 million over the last three years, the township had only collected $258,000 from insurers and others, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the remaining $750,000.
State Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks, noted that Bensalem was the first municipality in the state to go after pharmaceutical companies, but he said he hoped others would follow the township’s lead. And he added a personal dimension to the announcement, speaking of his oldest son, who is currently in long-term recovery after undergoing treatment for opioid addiction.
Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub was also on hand for the announcement, explaining that the township had tried other strategies to combat the opioid scourge, but that the over-prescription and easy availability of the drugs was a huge obstacle.
“It seems to be that, quite simply, for the drug companies, it’s about profit and loss,” he said.
A growing number of states, counties and cities are looking into the relationship between drug companies and the opioid crisis with lawsuits pending in Ohio, California, New York, New Hampshire, Oregon and Illinois, among states.
The township is represented by Greg Heller of Young Ricchiuti Caldwell & Heller LLC.
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Pfizer, Teva Among Latest Opioid Makers In Mo. Probe
Aug 31, 2017 | Law 360
By Dani Kass
Missouri’s attorney general on Thursday said he has demanded that seven drugmakers, including Pfizer, Teva, Mylan and Allergan, hand over documents about their opioid marketing as part of an investigation into whether they pushed the opioid crisis along despite knowing the addiction risks.
AG Josh Hawley issued civil investigative demands to Allergan PLC, Depomed Inc., Insys Therapeutics Inc., Mallinckrodt PLC, Mylan NV, Pfizer Inc. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. as part of a larger investigation that led to Hawley suing other drugmakers earlier this summer. The requested documents are tied to the marketing of opioids and connections with industry organizations that promoted the drugs, according to the AG.
“Our state faces an urgent public-health crisis brought on by fraud,” Hawley said in a statement. “Our investigation into those companies that manufacture and market opioids is ongoing. We must put an end to this crisis as we fight for the thousands of lives endangered by the opioid epidemic.”
The lawsuit announced on June 21 is against the major opioid makers: Purdue Pharma, Endo Health Solutions and Johnson & Johnson unit Janssen Pharmaceuticals. In a statement at the time, Hawley said they “carried out a complex, multi-year campaign” to “deliberately misrepresent the addictive risk of opioids.”
Missouri is following in the steps of several other states who are investigating or have sued these companies and others in the opioid game, accusing them of knowing opioids were addictive and dangerous but promoting their long-term use anyway.
For example, Ohio has sued Janssen, Purdue and Teva unit Cephalon Inc.; New Hampshire has sued Purdue; New York’s Suffolk County has sued Purdue, Cephalon, Janssen and Endo; Chicago has sued Purdue, Cephalon, Janssen, Depomed, Endo, Allergan; and the Oregon county that encompasses Portland has sued Purdue, Cephalon, Janssen, Endo, Allergan, Mallinckrodt and Insys. Each of these suits also name various parent companies and subsidiaries. In California, Teva and Cephalon have paid $1.6 million to settle a similar suit over opioid marketing practices.
The majority of state attorneys general have also banded together to investigate these companies.
At least nine counties and cities in Ohio; Birmingham, Ala.; the aforementioned Oregon county and the Cherokee Nation have also sued opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp.
"Pfizer’s only oral-use opioid, Embeda, which has abuse-deterrent properties, represent just 0.1% of all opioid prescriptions in the US," the company said Thursday. "We’re cooperating with the attorney general’s request."
Allergan said that its branded opioids only make up about .1 percent of opioids prescribed and that the company hasn’t promoted its two drugs in five and 14 years, respectively.
“We intend to fully cooperate with the Missouri Attorney General’s office,” spokesman Mark Marmur said.
Mylan declined to comment, but spokeswoman Nina Devlin pointed out that the company is a relatively small player in the opioid market, making only one percent of those drugs on the market.
Mallinckrodt said it no longer markets or promotes its opioids, which are about 10 percent of the company's sales.
“We believe the company has acted and continues to act lawfully and responsibly,” Mallinckrodt said in a statement. “We recognize that the opioid epidemic is a complex and confounding problem, and no one policy initiative or program will solve it. Mallinckrodt and its leadership have been at the forefront in developing a comprehensive approach to preventing prescription drug diversion, misuse and abuse.Representatives for Depomed, Insys and Teva didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Sep 1, 2017 | Mora County Board of Comissioners
Mora County has become the first New Mexico governmental entity to seek damages against the manufacturers and distributors of opioid painkillers.
Mora County Commissioners, Paula A. Garcia (Chair), George A. Trujillo, and Alfonso J. Griego unanimously voted Monday (August 14, 2017) to retain the firms of Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC (New York) and Fadduol, Cluff, Hardy & Conaway, P.C. (Albuquerque) to file a lawsuit on behalf of Mora County. Mora County joins numerous governmental entities nationwide already represented by Napoli Shkolnik. In New Mexico, the Napoli law firm has associated Fadduol, Cluff, Hardy & Conaway. Fadduol, Cluff, Hardy & Conaway is an Albuquerque-based law firm that focuses on catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation to ensure corporate accountability.
The lawsuit filed against various manufacturers and distributors of prescription opiates alleges fraudulent and negligent marketing and distribution of opiates. The lawsuit seeks damages to be paid to Mora County for costs it has incurred in combating the opioid epidemic. The law firms stated that they are aware of interest on the part of other governmental entities to join in the litigation effort.
"Mora County is proud to lead the charge in New Mexico in this ground-breaking litigation," stated Paula A. Garcia, Chair, Mora County Commissioner's board. Ms. Garcia stated "the opioid epidemic has caused devastation, touched virtually every citizen's life and certainly has caused the County to incur expenses and utilize resources needlessly."
"For many years the manufacturers and distributors of opioid pain medications have earned billions of dollars in profits flooding this country with opioids" says Napoli Shkolnik PLLC attorney Joseph L. Ciaccio, "these lawsuits seek to force those companies to clean up the devastation caused by these pills."
Josh Conaway of Fadduol, Cluff, Hardy & Conaway notes that "the rate of opioid overdose related emergency department visits has increased in New Mexico between 2010 and 2015. In 2014, three out of every 4 drug overdose deaths involved prescription opioids or heroin. Mora County has one of the highest opioid overdose rates of any New Mexico county."
"These drug companies have poisoned our communities and polluted our children" says Paul Napoli of counsel for Napoli Shkolnik PLLC. "The painkiller overdose epidemic is a classic case of putting profits before people," he said. "Many opioid manufacturers were so intent on selling as much product as possible that they either turned a blind eye towards, or intentionally buried, reports that these drugs were highly addictive and potentially deadly."
For information contact:
Paula A. Garcia, Chair, Mora County Board of Commissioners
(575) 387-5279
Napoli Shkolnik PLLC
Joseph L. Ciaccio, Esq.
(212) 397-1000
www.NapoliLaw.com
JCiaccio@NapoliLaw.com
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Aug 31, 2017 | WPVI (ABC)
By Philadelphia, PA
Rough Transcript: "bucks county made the unprecedented move to sue six big name pharmaceutical companies claiming that companies like purdue and johnson & johnson spent years creating an impress that the drugs were good for pain. >> we are the leader of the only leading investigation into the marketing of opioid pain killers. and leading the fight against the epidemic includes a candle light vigil and recovery walk in sewell at 5:30 and a moment of silence at roosevelt plaza at 1:42 today."
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Sep 1, 2017 | WVIT (BC)
By Hartford & New Haven, CT
Rough Transcript: "The opioid epidemic is showing no signs of slowing down here in conecticut.. and now one city is taking legal action. waterbury has filed a lawsuitagainst several of the country's biggest drug companies. the lawsuit claims the pharmaceutical manufacturers deliberately misrepresented the risks of opioid painkilers.. and in turn are in part to blame for the epidemic... our mesage is clear. the devastation of the state and all of our communities is absolutely astounding. we're al here together trying to do the right thing and trying to bring in a sucessful litigation against big pharma. seven municipalities have already joined the lawsuit. waterbury's mayor predicts another 15 to 20 more will join."
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